G Smith
05-01-2008, 10:43 AM
I test-drove an X6xDrive35i (ridiculous name by the way) last weekend. They had 3 of them at the dealership (Advantage Midtown)- Titanium Silver with black alcantara, Vermillion Red with black nevada leather and Tasman Green with the new oyster nevada leather. All were the twin turbo six models.
It is a beautiful car- much better in the metal than in pictures. Spent about two hours getting in and out, looking at it from all sides. Exterior makes the new X5 look a little dowdy, especially compared to the old X5. Also think there is plenty of space in the wayback for my dogs (golden retrievers) for short trips if they don't want to sit up much. Fit and finish was good- sitting in the driver's seat looked and felt just like the new X5 to me, although to me it was a little closed-in because of the dramatically sloping roofline and shorter greenhouse. Probably wouldn't work for the annual trek to Nantucket and back (for the dogs). There was plenty of room in front (I'm six-one) and in the back for my mom (five-two) and a friend (six-four). A little odd getting in and out- kind of have to pull yourself forward (without a handle in the roof) to get over the side of the seat in front, and especially from the back seats. Easy enough for me, not so easy for Mom, and you don't have to do that in the X5. Handling didn't feel much different than the new X5's I've driven- which is GREAT, but then I'm not a particularly aggressive test-the-limits kind of driver. Don't particularly like the newish shifter, but that is now throughout the line (5, 6, X5, X6, and 7) I guess. Even the twin six was fast and fun, would love to try the new eight. Beats any other cross-over out there and IMO the looks are killer. I'd do it tomorrow if there was a little more room for the dogs. May have to settle for the X5. Or think about it a while. But I've still got my 650 vert for fun and REALLY good looks. :)
It is a beautiful car- much better in the metal than in pictures. Spent about two hours getting in and out, looking at it from all sides. Exterior makes the new X5 look a little dowdy, especially compared to the old X5. Also think there is plenty of space in the wayback for my dogs (golden retrievers) for short trips if they don't want to sit up much. Fit and finish was good- sitting in the driver's seat looked and felt just like the new X5 to me, although to me it was a little closed-in because of the dramatically sloping roofline and shorter greenhouse. Probably wouldn't work for the annual trek to Nantucket and back (for the dogs). There was plenty of room in front (I'm six-one) and in the back for my mom (five-two) and a friend (six-four). A little odd getting in and out- kind of have to pull yourself forward (without a handle in the roof) to get over the side of the seat in front, and especially from the back seats. Easy enough for me, not so easy for Mom, and you don't have to do that in the X5. Handling didn't feel much different than the new X5's I've driven- which is GREAT, but then I'm not a particularly aggressive test-the-limits kind of driver. Don't particularly like the newish shifter, but that is now throughout the line (5, 6, X5, X6, and 7) I guess. Even the twin six was fast and fun, would love to try the new eight. Beats any other cross-over out there and IMO the looks are killer. I'd do it tomorrow if there was a little more room for the dogs. May have to settle for the X5. Or think about it a while. But I've still got my 650 vert for fun and REALLY good looks. :)